Together We'll Rise
by The Last Letter
Summary: Chloe is sick. Simon is weak, Tori uncertain. Derek hides them in a cabin, the disappears. As the Edison Group continues to rise in power, and Kit Bae makes a suspicious reappearance, the group can only rely on each other, and their missing leader. C/D
1. Chapter 1

Derek was anxious. He hated walking along the roads - it was too easy to spot him, Simon, Tori and Chloe - but he had to walk along them. It would be too hard for Simon and Tori to go hacking through the woods, as weak as they were, and he had to carry Chloe, she was that sick. Things had been getting worse in the last few months, supernaturals were getting abducted and killed every time they turned around. The bodies were piling up, and Derek didn't know what to do, except to keep moving.

"Okay, we've gotta cut through the woods to get to the cabin." He whispered to Simon and Tori.

They nodded, and followed him.

In the time since Andrew had died, the group hadn't stayed in one place for more than twenty-four hours. It was taking a toll on Simon, Tori and Chloe, but Derek seemed unaffected, except for his extreme worry. Simon and Tori weren't getting enough to eat and drink, they were getting so weak that it was a struggle for them to use their powers. Simon had tried a finding spell once, but he had collapsed, and Derek didn't want the same thing to happen to Tori. With Chloe it was different. It wasn't that she was undernourished. She was sick. _Really_ sick. Derek didn't know what was wrong, and that bothered him, but he knew enough to know that she needed medical attention, but he couldn't risk taking her to a hospital. The Edison Group had grown, and Derek was sure that spies were everywhere. No, for now, Chloe was better off sick with them than dead in a hospital.

After twenty minutes of fumbling in the woods, they found the cabin Derek had been looking for. Simple, hidden, it was the perfect place to bunk down for a bit. Derek made Simon and Tori stop behind him as he sniffed the place out, balancing Chloe across his shoulders.

"Safe," he said. Simon and Tori stumbled to the door, which Derek held out for them.

"A bed!" Tori cried. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen one, let alone slept on one. She ran as best as she could to it, and collapsed in the middle.

"There's only one," Derek rumbled, "so move over. You, Simon and Chloe are sharing." At any other time, Tori would have pouted, argued, but she was lost in the softness, and she was too tired. She motioned Simon to get over to the wall, but then Derek laid Chloe on the outside edge, and Tori became stuck in the middle. She was gathering up her energy to moan about it, before she realized that being in the middle was probably the warmest. She pulled the blankets up over herself, and sighed in contentment.

Chloe's eyes were closed, so Derek just assumed she was asleep, as did Simon. Tori began to snore, so they found it safe to talk.

"Whose cabin is this?" Simon asked.

"It belonged to an old guy who passed last year, his family doesn't come out here much, so we're okay to stay." Derek assured him, sitting on a chair.

"I'm worried," Simon admitted. "I'm worried and scared. We're just a bunch of kids. Tori and I are too weak to do anything, and Chloe's just completely out of it. And you, you're stuck halfway between your transformations. We can't bring these people down, Dere. We can't."

"Simon, we can't give up. We didn't come this far - "

"This far! We're in the middle of nowhere, sick and weak with dead supernaturals piling up around us!" Simon cried.

"I know, but the only way to fix it is to fight back. It's not going to get better if we don't do anything about it." Derek said. "I know how you're feeling. I've felt it too, but we have to keep going. We can't let all of those people die in vain. We can let Andrew's sacrifice mean nothing."

Simon nodded. "You're right."

Derek had a ghost of a smile on his face. "Of course I am, now, get some sleep."

Simon put his head down on the pillow, lulled to dreamland by Tori's snores.

_***_

_ They were in a faded blue truck. He was nestled in back, Chloe on one side, Tori on the other. Derek was in the passenger seat beside Andrew, once again going over the plan for breaking into the Edison headquarters. He was nervous, rubbing his sweaty palms on his jeans methodically. Chloe had her eyes closed, looking for spirits willing to help, and Tori, whatever she was doing, had enough sense to stay quiet._

_ They were driving on an old dirt road, still an hour away from the destination, when it happened. Their truck was hit from the side. They rolled, ending up in the ditch. Derek broke his way out, pulling out the rest of them out with him. Tori began forming balls of energy in her hands, there was a rustling in the woods, from Chloe's spirits, he hoped. Derek stood at the ready, Andrew at his side, looking warrior fierce. He swallowed, and summoned his power._

_ A group of two dozen people stood before them, all part of the Edison Group. "Well, well," cooed a woman that he didn't recognize, "look at the brave little supernaturals."_

_ No one bothered answering her. They just stood tense, at the ready, waiting for them to make the first move. The woman who had spoken, gestured to her colleagues, who fanned out to make a circle around their small group. They were forced back to back. He was once again wedged between Chloe and Tori, leaning against Derek._

_ The woman, who was apparently a witch, through a binding spell toward Derek, but out of nowhere, a corpse jumped out to take the spell. Chloe started breathing heavily beside him. The woman sneered, and prepared another spell, while a fire-demon across from her slowly began to set the ground on fire._

_ Behind him, he heard Derek and Andrew arguing in low whispers, he couldn't hear what they were saying, but a ball of dread formed in his stomach anyway. He nudged Tori, and together, they put out the demon's fire. The demon snarled, and the witch threw a pain spell. The same corpse, still recovering from the binding spell, also took the pain spell. He knew Chloe was looking for more corpses, but it didn't seem to be happening._

_ Derek and Andrew had stopped talking, and he didn't know what was worse. Derek turned his head. "When I start to run, follow me. Don't stop for anything. _Anything_." They whispered yes._

_ Andrew began building up power. He could feel it. It almost burned him. The essence was so powerful. Andrew began to shake with the exertion, and he realized he was pulling all of his magic out of his body, to hold in his hands. He thought Andrew said something, but he didn't hear it._

_ "Run." Derek said, that he heard. Derek took off, and like they were told, they followed him._

_ They took the Edison lackeys by surprise, and Derek just plowed right through their wall, they fled to the woods. He looked back for a fraction of a second, and stopped. Andrew hadn't followed them. He was still standing in the middle of the Edison's. For a moment, Andrew caught his eye, and nodded. Then Derek took his hand and pulled him on._

_ They were deep in the woods when it happened. Andrew released his magic, killing all of the Edison's, and himself. Tears pricked his eyes, but he kept going. They had to keep going._

_ ***_

Simon woke up breathing heavily. He'd had that nightmare every time he'd managed to grab some sleep since that night. It was still hard for him to accept that Andrew was gone, even though he knew that there was no way he could have survived. Derek had gone back to check, to see if anyone had survived, but said that everything for a couple of feet had been vaporized. _Vaporized_, Simon thought,_ nothing left_.

He couldn't get back to sleep, so he stayed lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling until light began to trickle in from outside. He felt too drained to get up, so he just stayed there, looking at the wood. He felt Tori stretch beside him, then her eyes opened.

"Morning," she mumbled, in a good mood. That was the best sleep she had gotten in weeks. Simon only nodded. She rolled her eyes at him, then sat up, crawling over the end of the bed so as not to disturb Chloe. "The mutt go to get food?" Tori asked, using her nickname for Derek.

"I dunno," truthfully, Simon hadn't heard Derek since waking up, but he wouldn't be surprised if his brother had spent the night outside the door, on high alert. "Stick your head outside, see if he's there."

Tori did as he suggested, then yelled, "DEREK!" She stood like that for ten minutes before coming back inside. She looked worried. "He would have heard that, right?" Simon nodded. "And he would be back by now, right?" Simon nodded again, dread rising within him.

"Derek's not out there?" He squeaked.

Tori shook her head. They stared wide-eyed at each other as Chloe began to cough. Tori looked over, and then looked horrified. "She's coughing up blood!"

**I think Andrew's a sorcerer, but I'm not sure, so for this story, we're assuming he is. Oh, and I'm not a doctor, so Chloe's illness is completely made up by yours truly! I don't own **_**Darkest Powers**_**. Also, I'm not sure what Tori looks like, any insights? Thanks.**

**~DI4MGZ~**


	2. Chapter 2

Silence reigned as Simon and Tori stared at each other, neither knowing what to do.

Finally Simon snapped into action, sitting up and pulling Chloe up too. "Tori, go see if you can find a towel or something." Tori went off to do as she was told, but in a shocked way. Whether it was the blood, or the realization of the fact that they were really on their own, was anyone's guess.

It took her two minutes to search the two-room cabin, and in that search she found food, the kind of stuff that could sit around for thousands of years and not go bad, and she found towels. She grabbed the blue one off the top, and walked back to Simon, who laid it out across Chloe's lap. She hacked blood onto it for so long, Tori honestly thought she was going to die. But it ended with a slight wheeze, and Simon gently settled her back down on the bed, and stashed the towel in the bathroom.

"What do we do now?" Tori asked him, eyes wide.

"I think, for now," he said slowly, "it's best to stay here." He didn't know where Derek was, but he was sure that him being gone wasn't a good thing. If he'd gone for a quick lap around the cabin and run into a member of Edison - Simon stopped. Whatever had happened, Derek would be fine. They would get through this.

"Right," Tori nodded. She wasn't an idea person, she didn't always have a plan, she relied on other people for that, namely Derek. She was glad that Simon could at least try. "I found food in the back while searching for a towel. Canned and dried stuff, there's a camping stove."

"That's good."

Chloe wheezed, and Tori looked over at the blonde. "She should really go to a hospital. I know what we talked about before, but then she wasn't coughing up blood."

Simon didn't know what to say. On one hand, they had just decided to stay here, Derek had been against going to a hospital, and he didn't know how close they were to one. On the other, Derek wasn't here right now, Simon needed to do what was best for Chloe, and he was _almost_ sure that Derek would be taking Chloe to a hospital now. He wrestled with himself. "I think it's best we stay here for as long as we dare, then pack up the food left here and move on. If anything else changes in the next few days, we'll head for a hospital," he decided.

"Okay, sounds all right." Tori said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She turned around, and grabbed two boxes of cereal. "So, Cap'n Crunch or Cheerios?"

***

That night, Simon was reluctant to go to bed. He stayed at the front of the cabin, looking out the lone window, watching for Derek.

Tori was still awake, sitting at the kitchen table, tracing the dents with her fingernail. She was worried for the mutt. Their little group had been traveling together for almost six months, and she couldn't honestly say she hated them anymore. She was actually starting to like them, as hard as it was for her to admit it. Well, with Derek and Chloe anyway. She'd always liked Simon, maybe even loved him. Anyway, Princess Chloe wasn't so bad, as naive as she was. She was the only girl around, and Tori had made an effort, after finding out that they actually did have something in common - the love of an actor, Ryan Reynolds.

As for Derek, well, he wasn't a friend, and she was sure they would never get along, but she had managed to conjure a grudging respect for him as their fearless leader. That, and he was the only one who hadn't been affected by the strain of all the running around. His super werewolf genes seemed to give him an extra boost when it came to surviving like this.

"What do you think happened to him?" She whispered.

Simon's fists clenched at her question, and his eyes narrowed. "I don't know. I don't know if I want to know."

"It must have been something really bad to bring him down," she mused.

"I know," Simon said angrily, spinning to face her. "I know that it was probably the Edison Group. I know that they probably decided that he was too much of a threat to keep around. He was just too dangerous to toy with anymore, so when they catch him alone, they shoot him. My brother's probably dead."

"Probably," Tori said with her usual empathy, "but you don't know that for sure. And do you know what I'm sure of? I'm sure that the Edison Group thinks Derek's too valuable to get rid of."

"How do you know that?"

"The last time I saw Mom she was talking to someone. I don't know who it was, but they were discussing Derek, specifically. She told him that if he ever had the chance, to use the tranquilizers on him, but he had strict orders not to kill him. Apparently, Derek knows something that they don't know."

Simon gave her a half smile. "Figures. It's not his size that gets him into trouble but his brain."

"Yeah. Well, I'm tired. Goodnight, Simon."

"'Night, Tori." He muttered, returning to the window.

*THE*NEXT*NIGHT*

"I'm worried." Tori announced.

"No duh." Simon replied. "We're probably on every hit list the Edison Group has, we don't have any contact with the outside world and Derek is missing."

"True, true and true." Simon was at the window, and Tori was playing solitaire with a pack of cards she had found, "but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm worried about Chloe. Before she used to wake up sometimes, and talk to us. Now she just lies in the bed, and sometimes I'm scared she's stopped breathing." Tori exploded in a rush. "I think we should take her to the hospital."

"Naa," Tori and Simon whipped their heads around as the sound came from Chloe. "Derek said no hospitals," she whispered in a breathy voice.

Tori went to her side and held her hand while Simon stood over them. "I know," he said, "but Derek's not here Chloe, we need to do what's best for you."

"What are you talking about?" She asked, her blue eyes searching his, "He's right behind you."

Simon knew Derek was stealthy, but he couldn't be that quiet. He looked over his shoulder, to see nothing. Then it dawned on him, and he looked to Tori.

"It's probably just a fever," Tori assured him, but when she put a hand across Chloe's forehead, there was no fever.

When Chloe saw people the rest of the world didn't, there were only two options: it was a shaman, or a ghost. And since Simon knew Derek wasn't a shaman, Chloe was seeing Derek's ghost. Simon fought to hide his tears, but put a hand over his mouth and stumbled outside to cry on his own.

Tori was shocked, and felt more than a little lost, but who knew how much longer Chloe would be awake? "Is Derek saying anything Chloe?" She asked, fighting to keep the shock from her face. Chloe obviously hadn't figured out what was going on, and Tori wasn't what going to be the one to tell her.

"Stay put," the girl translated. "No hospitals."

"Ask him what happened," Tori instructed.

After a moment's silence, Chloe answered, "he doesn't know. He says it was dark outside, and there was pain. He says to stay away from apple trees."

Apple trees? Pain, dark? Could Derek be any more vague? Tori thought. "Is there anything he would like to tell anyone?"

"He says sorry," Chloe said. "He's gone now. I'm hungry."

***

After Chloe fell asleep again, Tori saw it fit to bring Simon back inside, or, at the very least, keep him company. She opened the door and found him leaning against the side of the cabin. She took a seat beside him and waited for Simon to speak first.

"I knew it was a possibility," he admitted, "I knew that Derek could be dead, but I never thought that it would happen. I just lost Andrew. I never found my dad, and now, for Derek to be gone."

He put his head on his knees, and Tori rubbed his back. _I don't understand_, she thought, _Mom said that unless it was absolutely necessary, no one was allowed to harm him_. Out loud she said, "Chloe talked to him."

"What did he say?" Simon's voice was muffled because had still had his head on his knees.

"Stay put, no hospitals. He doesn't remember what happened, he was outside, there was pain and to stay away from apple trees," Tori remembered.

That got Simon's attention. "Apple trees?" He asked her.

"He didn't clarify. And Simon?" Tori said, Simon looked at her. "He said he was sorry."

"For what?" Simon wondered, "knowing Derek it's probably, 'sorry I got captured,'" Simon's lip quivered. "I don't know what to do without him."

"Well, you know what he wouldn't want, for us to give up. He'd want us to keep going, to keep fighting."

"Yeah, well, he was the only one who could fight. Chloe's sick, and you and I, we're useless. We're too weak from doing all this running to use our powers. We've been reduced to two teenaged kids who only dream of superpowers."

"Right." Tori nodded, pushing her black hair away from her eyes. "Except, we're here now. We're not running. We're resting. And we've got food. I'm just saying that it might get a little better." She hoped it would get better.

"Not for her." Simon gestured with his head to the inside of the cabin. "I think Derek had an idea of what was wrong with her, because some nights I would wake up to him counting off symptoms. I think that once she hit a certain one, he was going to take her to a hospital, but I have no idea what it was, or what she's got." Simon shook his head, "That was always Derek."

"We're just going to have to trust our judgement, not what we think Derek's would have been." Tori put her hand on his arm. "Derek was great at it, but he's not around to tell us what to do anymore."

"And that's why we're sitting outside, freezing out asses off in November." Simon said with a sad smile.

"I know you're a funny guy, Simon, but even you wouldn't make a joke out of this." Tori said, head bowed.

"If I laugh about it, then it's not real. It didn't happen." Simon took a deep breath and rubbed at his red eyes. Then he stood and offered Tori his hand. "C'mon. Let's go inside."

Tori took it, but didn't let go, like he was her lifeline, and he clung to her in the very same way.

**Sorry for the wait guys, but I'm going to try and be a good author and update regularly from now on.**

**I don't own**_** Darkest Powers, Cap'n Crunch**_** or **_**Cheerios. **_**I also don't own **_**Ryan Reynolds**_**, as much as I love him! And thanks to all of you who reviewed, and who told me about Tori, you're all appreciated.**

**~DI4MGZ~**


	3. Chapter 3

Four mornings later, Simon and Tori had the routine down. Simon usually got up first and slipped outside to take a bath in a stream he had discovered a few meters from the cabin, if Tori wasn't awake by the time he got back, he would wake her up. She would go to the stream while he prepared their morning cereal. Once they had eaten, Tori would wake up Chloe, who was having more and more 'conscious' moments, and get her to eat.

That morning was no different, except that Chloe demanded that Simon and Tori take her to the table, she wanted to it eat like a normal person.

"We're anything but normal," Simon joked, but helped her anyway. She hadn't seemed to notice Derek's absence, she was more than a little fuzzy on a lot of things, and Simon couldn't help but wonder if it was because she saw him.

Simon was busying himself with washing dishes, Tori had dug out the pack of cards she had become so attached to, when Chloe spoke, "Tori, why are you being nice?"

"What?" Tori asked, her hands frozen mid-shuffle.

"Two months ago it was like pulling teeth to get you to be civil, now you're acting like I'm your little sister." Chloe blinked clouded blue eyes at the witch.

"I figure, we're the only girls, and once you stopped being all damsel-in-distress, you were okay." Chloe hugged the taller girl. "Hey, hey. I said _okay_, not _awesome_."

Chloe shrugged, then balanced herself back on her chair. "Let's play cards." She suggested.

"All right," Simon agreed and sat down opposite Tori, who resigned herself to playing. "What game?"

Chloe thought for a second, "Crazy eights."

Tori shuffled the cards and dealt. For a few minutes, they managed to relax. Pretend like they were a group of normal friends, the supernaturals, the Edison Group, even Derek seemed to fade into the background, but not for long. Simon was well on his way to winning, Tori had about a dozen cards in her hand, and Chloe couldn't find anything to play, when Chloe suddenly shrieked, "That's cheating!"

Simon looked around automatically, but found no one. "Who's cheating?"

"Liz," Chloe answered. "She told me your cards."

Simon went from tense to slightly more relaxed. He didn't know if he could handle Derek being in the room. He still didn't believe his brother was dead, despite the proof. "Well, tell Liz to stop."

She relayed the message, and added, "Liz thinks Tori's going to win anyway."

Simon looked at Tori's hand, a ton of cards. "Tori, really?"

Ten minutes later, Tori won the game with a triumphant smirk. "That's right, I won!" She cheered.

"Ever hear of a sore loser?" He asked, but kept watching her, a smile on his face. Tori stuck out his tongue.

Chloe yawned. "I'm tired." Tori put her back into bed, pulling the patchwork quilt over her small frame. "Tori?" She mumbled.

"Yeah Chloe?"

"Liz says apple trees are dangerous." And she fell asleep.

Tori spun around to face Simon, "Okay, what's the big deal about apple trees?" She demanded.

"Like I know anymore than you." Simon snapped.

"Do you have any theories?" She asked him.

"Nope. None at all. I'm not the idea guy." Simon said.

"We can't do this." She muttered.

"We have to," Simon hesitated, then repeated Derek's words from a few nights ago, "It's not going to get better if we don't do anything about it. We can't let all of those people die in vain. We can't let Andrew's sacrifice mean nothing."

"Since when are you that deep?" Tori teased, and Simon could see that she was feeling better.

"I'm not. That's what Derek told me." Simon told her, keeping his eyes down.

When it got late, Tori climbed into bed. "You gonna stand there all night?" She asked Simon.

"Maybe," he answered, "I don't think Derek's," Simon swallowed and forced out the word, "dead. Call it gut instinct, or denial, but I think he's still out there."

"And he could be, you never know."

Simon turned away from the window and laid on the bed. "What happened to little Miss Cynical?" He teased.

"I put her in a box, but I could always go find her," Tori mumbled sleepily.

Simon feigned horror. "NO!"

Tori let out a sleepy chuckle. "Night."

"Goodnight."

The moon was full, the stars were bright, bathing the little cabin in brightness. A figure came out of the woods, cloaked in darkness. He swayed for a moment, then approached the door. He did not hesitate. He knocked three times.

Knock.

Simon was awake instantly at the sound, seeming to be as loud as a gunshot. Tori was still asleep, she could snore through anything, so he shook her and her eyes opened, as did her mouth, but Simon quickly motioned for her to stay silent.

Knock.

Tori's eyes went wide, fear was detectable in their dark depths. "Let's go to the bathroom and hide." He mouthed. Tori nodded. Simon and Tori slipped out of bed, Chloe in their arms, and hid in the bathroom.

Knock.

After the third knock, it was silent for a few moments, then they heard a man's voice. "Simon? Simon, it's Dad."

Simon jumped to his feet, but Tori grabbed the back of his shirt, "Spells," she hissed. Simon didn't like it, but he stayed where he was, as Chloe twitched, and sweat began to cover her face.

"Simon, I'm alone, I wasn't followed. Use your spells to check," the man, who identified himself as Kit Bae, Simon's father, urged.

Simon and Tori looked at each other. Both knew they couldn't check. "Don't," Tori whispered, struggling to keep a cool head. "Don't trust."

Kit was silent, waiting for a reply, when none came he called, "Jiminy Cricket!"

Simon was out of the bathroom and opening the front door before Tori could even think about stopping him. She scooped the shivering Chloe into her arms, and after depositing her, none to gently, on the bed, Tori turned and studied Simon's father.

Kit wasn't a tall man, barely standing over his son, his hair was ink black, his eyes were dark brown with an Asian slant. He looked healthy, though his pants were splashed with mud. He was on the thin side, looking like a short bean pole.

Simon had his arms wrapped him. "Dad, I don't believe it," he bubbled, and Tori understood how important this was. Derek was gone, Andrew was gone, to suddenly get his Dad back must have felt like a miracle, but Tori was still suspicious. Through her life, if she had learned one thing, it was not to trust. "Where have you been? What happened? Why are you here? How did you know where to find us?"

"Slow down," Kit's voice sounded different now that it wasn't being heard through a door. Calm and soothing. "I'll tell you the whole story once you introduce me to these ladies." Simon spun around. "Right, Dad this is Victoria Enright, she's - "

"Diane Enright's daughter."

"I'd rather you didn't say that." Tori told him. "I have disowned my backstabbing, lying, creep of a mother."

"You must be _very_ powerful," Kit said. "A half-breed plus genetic mutations." Despite his falling out with the Edison Group, Kit had the Genesis II project bred into him. He wasn't sure he liked it, but he needed to be sure the kids were safe.

"Half-breed?" Tori sounded insulted, like he'd just called her a bitch.

"The daughter of a witch _and_ sorcerer," Kit explained. "Not a good combination."

Tori tried to squash her anger, but couldn't. All of her life people -her mother- had been telling her that she wasn't good enough, and now this total stranger, who was supposed to help them out of this mess, was telling her that she had been born not good enough? Wind seemed to flood through the cabin, anything that wasn't nailed down began to rattle.

"Calm down Tori!" Simon yelled over the force of the wind.

Tori clenched her fists. _Deep breaths_, she told herself,_ deep breaths._ Little by little, the wind died down until it was gone.

Kit, breathless, collapsed into one of the four chairs. "You _are_ powerful."

Tori smirked an 'I-told-you-so' smirk. "I know."

Simon sat across from his father, and motioned for Tori to take one of the other chairs, which she did. "At least we know that one of us isn't completely useless."

"Useless?" Kit caught the word.

"One day I tried to use my powers and I collapsed. I don't know what happened. We'd been on the run for a while so De- we just chalked it up to exhaustion. The same thing was assumed for Tori, and we didn't want her to try anything, in case we got the same result." Simon avoided Derek's name, not knowing how to bring it up, but wanting to put it off for as long as possible.

"Losing your powers? That shouldn't be happening." Kit frowned.

"That's what you get when you genetically modify supernaturals," Tori scowled, bringing out the 'cynical Tori' Simon had teased her about just hours ago.

"Genesis." Kit was not surprised that they knew about it. "In the beginning, I thought that we were doing the right thing, that the testing would make life better for supernaturals. Obviously not, though." Kit shook his head. "Although, Simon was never involved in any of the testing, as you seemed to be saying. I didn't know that his mother was pregnant until after she'd had the baby."

"Oh," Tori said, it was the only thing she could think of to say. Simon hung his head, almost like he was ashamed of the news, but Kit just kept going.

"And who's that?" Kit pointed to Chloe, tossing and turning on the bed.

"Chloe Saunders, necromancer." Simon said, "she's sick. I have no idea what's wrong."

Kit came closer to the blonde, and her bloodshot blue eyes flew open. "Apple trees," she cried. "Apple trees!"

Kit chuckled. "Calm little one," he whispered, placing a hand on her forehead. "Get better." His hand glowed blue for a moment, then Chloe fell asleep.

"What did you do?" Simon demanded.

"I healed her, I think." Kit said.

"You think?" Tori gave him a look.

"She just had a simple virus that she probably picked up from a spirit. Shamans are usually the best to go to, but sorcerers and witches have some healing spells."

"You can get viruses from spirits?" Simon was curious.

"Necromancers can. Anyway, I'm sure she was healed. I haven't used my powers in so long, but it's not a problem."

"What is your story anyway?" Tori asked impatiently.

"In a second," Kit assured her before looking to his son. "Where's your brother, Simon? Where's Derek?"

**I haven't read **_**The Reckoning**_**, but this was nothing like the actual books anyway. But, I'd like to annoy you with something: I have gotten a lot of 'don't kill Derek' reviews. Note: I haven't called Derek dead. I don't own **_**Darkest Powers **_**or**_** Pinocchio.**_** Enjoy.**

**~DI4MGZ~**


	4. Chapter 4

Simon gaped like a fish for a few seconds, before forcing out, "Derek's gone, Dad."

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Kit's legs felt like they were turning to jelly, and he leaned against the wall for support. Surely his son wasn't . . .

"I mean he's - " Simon couldn't go on, but the tears pooling in his eyes said it all.

"Excuse me," Kit breathed, and went outside, just like Simon had when Chloe had first seen Derek.

"Give him a second," Tori told Simon, grabbing his arm. "First you have questions to answer, like why the _hell_ did you go to him? We didn't know what was going on out there. He could have been followed, put up to it!" She hissed.

"When Derek and I were really little, Dad set up a safe-word. It was 'Jiminy Cricket'. No one else knew, so when I heard it . . ." Simon shrugged. "I just had to go, Tori."

Tori nodded. "Fine, but you ever do _anything_ like that again, I will kick your ass."

"Yes ma'am," then Simon went outside.

The cool air stung his skin, but Simon went and stood beside his father. "What happened to him?" Kit asked quietly.

"We don't know. It was our first night here, we went to sleep, when we woke up, he wasn't there. We thought he had gone to get food, but then, then Chloe saw him." Simon said.

Kit sniffed, and used one hand to rub his eyes. "Your brother is strong, Simon. There's no way someone could overpower him."

"Dad, what if it was another werewolf? They've got to be as strong as he is." Simon exclaimed.

Kit thought about it, but then shook his head. "Yes, other werewolves would be as strong as Derek, but they like to remain within their pack. They like to remain independent of other groups."

Simon clung to his theory, it was his explanation, and if he had something that explained it all, well, it was better than all the doubt and suspicion. "What if this werewolf didn't know any better? What if it was born and raised in with the Edison Group?"

Kit shook his head again. "I would have heard about it. For the wolf to be as strong as Derek, it would have to be at least as old. Besides, son, I still have connections within the group. I would know."

"I don't want him to be dead," Simon confessed, tears pricking at his eyes.

"Neither do I, but we both know that if the necromancer saw him then there is no other explanation." Kit hated to say it, but he spoke the truth. There was no other explanation.

Hearing the words from his Dad's mouth seem to make everything more concrete. Simon stumbled forward into his father's arms, and together they broke down and cried.

Tori paced the small cabin. She didn't want to break up the father-son reunion/grieving period, but she had questions and she was impatient to have them answered. Like how Kit found them, where he had been . . . they went on and on. Tori was also certain that once she heard the story, she would be left with even more questions. She looked at the stack of cards sitting on the table, but shook her head. She was sick of seeing the cards.

A low moan tore Tori's attention away from her hatred of cards to Chloe. As the witch watched, the smaller girl seemed to get better. Her pale, clammy skin seemed to grow healthy and beautiful, the matted, greasy, tangled hair turned smooth and lustrous. The sweat disappeared from her brow, her body relaxed. Tori took a step closer. This was magic at work.

Chloe's eyes snapped open, and she drew a deep breath. "I feel . . ." her voice was stronger than it had been, "I feel better!" She laughed. "Oh, Tori! What happened?" Chloe seemed indifferent to Tori's somber expression.

"You were healed."

"Healed." Chloe repeated the word, and held it close to her, like a precious jewel. "I don't even know what I suffered from. Who healed me?"

"Kit. Simon's father."

Chloe's elation slowly began to descend. She had finally noticed that Tori's words held little emotion, that the worry and fear were much more prominent in her dark eyes. "When did he get here?"

"Just a short while ago. And don't ask, because he hasn't told us anything yet." Tori's words came out sharper than she originally intended, but Tori didn't care.

"Simon and Derek must be happy." Chloe commented.

"You don't remember," Tori whispered. She hadn't intended to let Chloe hear, but the blonde heard anyway.

"What happened?" The voice, so strong and boisterous moments ago, had dropped to a small, scared whisper.

"Derek disappeared. And then you saw him, but we didn't." Tori recited the bare facts, but it was enough to make Chloe's face crumble, and tears form in her blue eyes.

"I saw - " Chloe tried, then started again. "You didn't - " She seemed unable to go on. She curled up into a ball, forehead on her knees, and let the tears fall.

Tori hesitated, then went to Chloe's side, and rest a hand on her back. It was a small comfort, but Chloe drew from it what she could. Doubt lingered in her, however, born from her belief that Derek was invincible. Her thoughts went back to Ramon and Liam, and the trouble Derek had with beating him. What if the Edison group had found someone _stronger_ than the other wolves? What . . . Chloe stopped herself. She could know for sure if Derek was dead. She could summon him. She had done it with Liz enough.

Shaking off Tori's hand, Chloe sat up straight and drew a deep breath. She focused all of her energy on Derek. If he was dead, he would feel it, and he would come. Chloe sat, leaning against the wall, legs crossed, eyes closed, waiting.

Tori watched her for a few seconds before realizing what Chloe was trying to do. With a grim smile on her face, she shook her head. _He's gone,_ she thought_, nothing will change that._

The door opened, startling Tori from her thoughts, and causing Chloe's eyes to fly open. Tori saw hope in their blue depths, because Derek hadn't shown up, but she knew the blonde was wrong. Simon and Kit both took seats at the small table, Tori collapsing beside Chloe.

"I think," Kit said, "I think it's time for you to hear my story."

Simon turned hopeful eyes on his father. This was it: the big confession. He and Derek had dozens of theories, all involving sorcerers and horrible spells, a long time of captivity, and a heroic escape, to get back to his boys. Okay, so that last part was mostly Simon, but it sounded plausible. In the supernatural world anyway.

"I left."

Those two words punched a hole in Simon's gut. He _left?_ Just walked out the door, abandoning his son and his 'dangerous' adopted son?

"I'm sorry, Simon."

Tori's eyes narrowed at the middle aged man. She knew that if she were Simon, she would not accept that apology. It simply wouldn't be enough for all the stress and pain, everything they could have avoided if Kit had hung around.

"Why would you leave us?" Simon demanded in a low voice.

"The reason why a parent does anything, to keep you safe. The Edison group was getting close, too close for comfort. An old friend warned me to get away, to store you boys somewhere safe and disappear. I didn't believe him, like a fool. I believed we could not get caught, and I'd never imagined that you boys would be left behind. But, I was alone in the house when an unknown supernatural set off one of my security spells. I know we were packing to leave, but I would never get you two in time . . . I had to run. It took me months to figure out that the Edison Group had you two at Lyle house. By the time I got there, your little group had already left.

"I tried tracking you, in every way possible. Listening to Edison Intel, spells, retracing your steps. Derek was good though, always moving, covering your tracks. I found you at Andrew's, and then lost you. Eventually, I found you here." Kit finished.

"Does that mean anyone could find us?" Chloe whispered.

Kit shook his head. The finding spells work on an," Kit searched for a word, "_essence._ Let's use that. It's like you, trying to call a certain spirit, or a police dog, tracking a kidnap victim, they need an article of clothing. But, it takes ages to only go off a scent, or a picture, and it won't work off a personal item. But since I know Simon, have spent a lot of time with him, then it's easy for me to track."

Chloe nodded.

"So, Kit, what's up with the apple trees?" Tori asked. Simon and Derek had always made it sound like their father had all the answers, well, it was time to put that to the test.

"I have no idea," Kit let out a breath, "but the spirits are aware of it."

Tori watched as Chloe's face crumpled at the slight mention of 'spirit'. Simon didn't look hurt anymore, only angry, searching for vengeance.

"What do we do now?" Chloe's voice was just a whisper, but everyone tensed. There was no plan, nothing to go off of. They had no idea where Edison headquarters was located anymore, (the original one had been blown up), it was impossible to tell where it would have gone.

"Now," Kit looked out the window. It was still dark. "Now we sleep, and hope an answer comes to us in the morning."

The three children slid into the bed, while Kit made himself comfortable on the floor, soon, snores filled the room, but Chloe couldn't sleep. Some voice inside her head was screaming, "GO OUTSIDE! GO OUTSIDE!" She was tempted to ignore it, what if it was a trick? But she reasoned that if it _was_ the Edison Group, the cabin would be in flames by now, so she slipped her feet into her shoes and walked outside, eyes adjusting to the darkness. A sliver of a moon providing little light.

Chloe took two steps and screamed, waking the cabin.


End file.
